Kin of Kings (The Kin of Kings Book 1) (36 page)

After being exiled from Tenred toward the end of the last war, Basen had considered himself lucky that at least he hadn’t had to fight. But now that he had something worth fighting for—friends, a home, his remaining family—he was happy to fight. But he needed to know if his father was still alive. He longed to breathe easier once again.

He dressed and hurried to Effie’s house, where he knew Alex was waiting. Basen felt that he’d gotten to know the talented swordsman well. Whether it was on purpose or not, Alex always put him at ease. He was a kind man, especially for a warrior, and Basen found himself wondering what he’d done to earn Alex’s favor. The only thing he could think of was that it came from being friends with Effie, but most men would treat Basen with more distance because of that.

They started toward the dining hall at a leisurely pace. “Do you like it here so far?” Alex asked.

“I do, but I would like it more if war wasn’t coming. Do you mind if I ask you something before I forget?”

“Go ahead.”

“Has Penny always been like that around you?”

“Like what?”

“You didn’t notice? Like you’ve gone behind her back about something.”

Alex chuckled. “That’s
exactly
what happened, so it makes sense she would act that way. But she certainly has never brought up my brother and his
honor
before. I’m sure she was trying to guilt me about what I did.”

“And what did you do?”

“I spoke to Mage Trela the morning after evaluation week was done, just before the lists were posted.”

“
You’re
the one who spoke to her on my behalf?” Basen was incredulous.

Alex shrugged. “All I did was tell the truth about you. After everything Effie had told me, there was more than enough evidence that you should be in Group One.”

Basen could think of nothing to say.
Words weren’t enough to fully express his gratitude anyway.

“I don’t know how to thank you.”

“You don’t need to. I was just doing what everyone does for each other around here. We’re all fighting together, so we should train where it benefits us the most. You deserve to be with the other top mages, and your improvement is just as helpful to me and the others as it is to you.” The tall warrior leaned down toward Basen’s ear. “I could tell Effie wanted to speak to Trela to get you into Group One, but she never mentioned it to me. She must’ve been worried about how it would appear to bring it up, let alone ask for you to join her group. With Effie and I being a couple, she probably worried about giving me the impression that she was interested in more than just a friendship with you.” Alex straightened and showed a wry smile. “Given the attention you get from women, I can understand the worry. But I trust her, and I’ve grown to trust you.” He shrugged. “I was just doing the right thing.”

“You have to let me do something for you in return.”

“Just train hard, and I’m sure one day you will.”

There weren’t many men like Alex. This was a friend Basen didn’t want to lose. He seemed to be gaining more of them in his short time at the Academy than he had in his previous life at the castle in Tenred.

“Speaking of training, I plan to use the akorell stone before I’m obligated to hand it over to Penny. But I fear that Nick was killed because I made the portal in his room.”

“I’ve wondered the same thing. So you haven’t practiced since that night?”

“Right.” Basen was somewhat impressed Alex had come to the same conclusion with so much less information to go on. “But tonight I would like to go to the Group One mage training area and see if I can open a full-sized portal with the stone. I was hoping you and Effie could come with me. We could get Jack Rose and the headmaster, who both know about it as well. That should keep us protected in case the killer attacks again. It might even lure him or her out.”

“The sooner we can find that bastard, the better. How about inviting Cleve, Reela, and Steffen?”

“I’d rather keep this known to as few people as possible. If news of my ability gets back to the murderer, it could be my death. That’s why I’m not risking making the portal in my house.”

“Then it should be fine with just the five of us.”

They met Effie at the dining hall, Alex sitting beside her and sharing a kiss while Basen settled in front of them. It no longer caused even a spark of jealousy to see them together like it did the first time.

“I found out who spoke to Trela on my behalf, Effie,” he said, then raised his eyebrows at Alex.

She spun to face him. “Did you think I was asking you to do that?” She seemed worried.

He took her hands. “No, I just did what was best for the school. Doesn’t he deserve to be in Group One?”

Effie smiled, surprised yet in awe.

“Don’t take too long to answer,” Basen nudged.

“Reela was right,” Effie told Alex.

“What did she say about me?”

“That you would make a good headmaster one day.”

Alex chuckled. “I remember that. She made the comment as a joke after I delivered a rousing speech to make everyone drink with us.”

“It doesn’t matter. She’s right.”

When their conversation eventually halted, Basen jumped in. “I left the akorell stone in your room, Effie. But Penny has demanded that I bring it to her so she can give it to Terren. I was hoping we could use it before then.” He went on to explain what he and Alex had discussed on the way to the dining hall.

Effie agreed that protection was a good idea, however she didn’t think Jack or Terren were necessary. “They’ll just stop us from using it once they find out,” she argued. “The three of us can handle one murdering psychic anyway. Alex and I are trained to resist psyche.”

Alex leaned across the table to whisper loudly, “Eff still needs a lot of practice to reach my level.”

“Doesn’t matter,” she said flippantly. “Whoever it is would be a fool to attack the three of us. There’s no need to get instructors involved. Like I said, they’ll just take the stone away.”

Basen looked to Alex but found that he was already staring back at Basen. They both shared a worried expression, yet neither of them spoke up.

Effie went on, “I still find it hard to believe that Nick died just because you made a portal in his room. I think you might be wrong about that and there’s no one out there who can feel when a portal has been made.”

“Whether or not that’s true,” Basen said, “I still think we should bring Jack and Terren.”

“Fine, but just be aware that you’re risking having the stone taken away.”

Basen looked around for the instructors as he finished eating. They tended to stick to their own tables when they did make appearances in the dining hall. Many instructors used their kitchens, instead, for their houses were equipped with ovens unlike the student houses.

An oven!
That’s it!

“Basen?” Effie leaned away from him. “You look like you shat your pants.”

“I just realized what I was looking at when I made the previous portals,” he whispered, and Effie leaned back in. “The first time I created a portal was in the training center. I was having trouble grasping the sartious energy that was absent from my wand, so I thought back to my initial training when I used to practice forming fireballs outside an oven in one of Tenred’s kitchens. I often wanted to cast at night and this kitchen was the only place I could go within the castle where the noise of my spells wouldn’t wake anyone, so it became my sanctuary when it wasn’t in use. Whenever I’ve struggled to make fire, I think back to that oven where I spent so many hours. The portal led to my usual spot in that kitchen, in front of the oven. The reason we saw fire on the other end at one point and then no fire later is because the oven was out by then. I believe this means I can control where the portals go as long as it’s a place where a portal can be created—a place where enough bastial energy has been pulled together over time.”

“My bastial stars,” Alex said with a chuckle. “If you can learn to control portals, we might be able to end this war before it even begins by assassinating Tauwin.”

“That proves even more that I need to practice.”

“It beckons a question, though,” Effie added. “Your first portals were made without an akorell stone. So what will happen when you use one to create the portal?”

They fell silent as they waited for someone to suggest a theory.

The Redfield bell startled them all. Effie pounded the table. “It’s too damn loud!”

She calmed instantly as Alex put his hand on her back.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

Cleve had been waiting for this Redfield announcement since he first heard of Tauwin Takary’s takeover of the capital. Although Cleve had no immediate family living in the cities, he still needed to know what had happened to the people of Kyrro. Had a civil war broke out among the cities, or was the Academy the only opposition to Tauwin?

If he managed to take the three cities of Kyrro in a single day, how much longer can we hold out against his army?

Reela could always use psyche to find Cleve no matter where he sat in the stadium, so he and Steffen made sure a spot was available for her as thousands of students began taking their seats. Reela didn’t have friends outside of their circle, which had surprised Cleve when she’d first told him.

“The psychics train against each other,” she’d explained. “We cause severe pain to one another, and then we can sense each other’s bitterness when the duel’s over. That’s too difficult for most to overcome.”

“But I often have to hurt my fellow warriors just like you hurt your fellow psychics,” he’d argued. “Yet we make light of it by taunting each other.”

“There’s one crucial difference between warriors and psychics,” Reela had replied. “Psychics can’t hide their emotions from each other. You would be surprised to find out how much people’s expressions conceal.”

It was a sad thought Cleve didn’t want to believe. “Are you saying warriors wouldn’t be friends if we could read each other’s emotions?”

“Perhaps some of you could still be friends, you and Alex for example. But most of you wouldn’t enjoy each other’s company as much.”

He’d seen other psychics who were friends, and he brought this up to Reela. She’d formed the sly smile he’d grown to love and told him, “I didn’t say all psychics can’t be friends, just that none want to be my friend.”

“How could that be?”

“Because I’m so much stronger than they are. They’re jealous, and they know I can feel it. That makes for an uncomfortable social situation. The only time I came close to making friends was when I had that hideous scar.” She touched her cheek. “There was no jealousy, then. But I’m still much happier without it.”

Cleve was reminded of this conversation whenever he noticed Reela alone in situations in which others were with friends. Walking somewhere, eating at the dining hall, entering the stadium…it didn’t matter, she never had company outside of their close group of friends or the occasional instructor, usually not a psychic one, for they were equally as intimidated by her as her fellow students were.

She was so beautiful, he wondered if he was the reason she didn’t have more men chasing after her. Or maybe they were deterred by her Elven ears that peeked out of her dark blond hair.

She sat down between him and Steffen and leaned in to kiss his cheek. Whether it was from psyche or not, the warmth of her breath and the feel of her soft lips on his skin often caused a burst of prickles that swam out from the point of her touch.

“Do you already know what this is about, Steffen?” Reela asked.

“I do.”

“Good news or bad?”

“That depends on your expectations,” he said flatly as he watched Terren stride into the center of the arena.

The headmaster raised his arms for silence, commanding it quickly. “I know you all are eager for news of Tauwin’s army. I’ll get to that in a moment. Unfortunately, I must first bring up an issue of theft. Safli flowers have gone missing from the Academy’s garden. You should all be aware by now that no students without explicit permission are allowed over the fence and into the field of plants for our chemists. Whoever has been taking safli flowers is most likely a chemist with the ability to melt them into a potion and knows what they’re used for. If anyone knows this individual, please report him or her to any chemist instructor immediately. If you are this individual, stop this theft and come see me or any chemist instructor so we can help you. There will be punishment if you don’t let us help you.”

As murmurs of confusion spread around the stadium, Cleve asked Steffen what safli flowers were used for.

“Pure safli mixed with bastial energy into a potion causes heavy drowsiness with vivid dreams. Jack Rose thinks the thief is someone having trouble sleeping. But there are many other ways to rest. Safli can be dangerous. Take too much of it, or combine it with enough alcohol, and there’s no waking up again.”

Terren gave a similar warning to the entire assembly in the stadium. But then he ended with a statement that shocked everyone. “If safli is found in your possession, we’ll expel you from the Academy. Don’t let it come to that. We need everyone working together and following our rules. All of you should take this as a lesson: If you have a problem, speak to us about it. Don’t steal or hurt others. Now on to other matters.